Pretty Packages

by Dodson, Mi'Chelle

  Sighing wearily at even the thought of going out with Fabian again, Giada’s mind returned to Kentucky. I really miss you, baby, she mused, speaking that lament in her heart.

  * * * *

  Thousands of miles away and across a wide ocean, someone was missing Giada. That someone was Kentucky.

  That’s right, Kentucky Jones was not dead. In fact, he was in the jungles of Africa, tying down the legs of a wild boar right now.

  Three months ago, Kentucky was almost as dead as the wild animal he’d just killed. Yet he miraculously survived that hard blow to the head and a near-fatal bullet to the chest. Kentucky also survived the raging fever that accompanied those injuries and the months of amnesia when he didn’t even know who he was, much less who anyone else was.

  Now that Kentucky’s mind was clear again and his strength well enough to travel, he was making arrangements to go home. He was going home to his stepmother . . . home to Giada.

  Yet before Kentucky could get to either of them, he had to say a proper good-bye to the old medicine man who had taken care of him these last three months. This was the same man who discovered Kentucky’s body still breathing among a pile of corpses prepared to be burned, took him home, and nursed him back to health.

  Despite their different ethnicities, Malik treated Kentucky like a son during the months of his memory loss, renamed him Kosey, aka Lion, and instructed him in the ways of their village and herbal medicine. Kentucky could never repay Malik for what he’d done. Yet he certainly would try as soon as he got back to civilization.

  If only that track back to civilization didn’t require a long ride to the nearest city on the back of a donkey. After that, another hundred fifty miles to the nearest U.S. embassy.

  I don’t care how long it takes. I’m getting back to the women I love, Kentucky decided as he turned and made his way back to Malik’s hut.

  The large boar he carried on his back would feed many families tonight. This included the family of the arrogant young protégé who had recently replaced Malik as head medicine man, although he couldn’t speak fluent English like his predecessor nor did he have the same level of experience.

  Before Kentucky arrived, Malik had to fend for himself in the war-ravished village of refugees. Having lost his wife to disease a year after he lost his son, Malik soon found himself losing the faith of the people in his healing abilities. The chief even demoted him to the task of herb collector.

  When Malik proved that he could bring someone as big and as gravely ill as Kentucky back from the brink of death, people started to have faith in him again. As a result, instead of leaving the village in shame when Kentucky eventually sent for him in America, Malik would now be able to leave with honor.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The first person Hannah thought of when she received that fateful call from Kentucky was Giada. But with all the recent publicity surrounding Fabian and Giada’s romance in the press, Hannah didn’t dare get in contact with her. She didn’t want to disturb the young woman’s newfound happiness. Plus, with Giada only maintaining contact twice a month instead of twice a week like before, Hannah truly believed that there was little room in Giada’s life for any of the Joneses these days.

  Hannah also didn’t dare tell Kentucky that Giada was no longer waiting for him. She didn’t want to devastate her stepson over the phone. She didn’t want to devastate him at all after all he’d been through in Africa, but some things were inevitable.

  Thus Hannah would wait until Kentucky got back to the States to tell him the sad news. She would break it to him as easily as possible, then stand by his side and do whatever she could to help him recover from that hard emotional blow.

  * * * *

  Kentucky came home three days later. He smiled as soon as he saw his stepmother at the airport. Lifting Hannah’s petite frame into his arms, he gave her a big bear hug and whispered how much he loved her.

  As soon as Kentucky put his stepmother down, he asked, “Where’s Giada?” He turned hopeful eyes to the crowd of people around them, scanning for any signs of his fiancée.

  Hannah took a deep breath, blew it out, and said, “She’s not coming, son.”

  Kentucky frowned. “Not coming?” he roared. “What do you mean she’s not coming?” he continued in a lowered tone after drawing unnecessary attention their way. “Didn’t she want to come?”

  Hannah took another deep breath. “I didn’t tell her you were alive, Kenny.”

  Kentucky pulled his stepmother off to the side for more privacy. “Why, Mama? Why didn’t you tell Giada about me?”

  “She went back to him, son,” Hannah said, deliberately not referring to Fabian by name.

  “Him as in Fabian Flow?” Kentucky asked, needing to be sure.

  “Yes. Their relationship is all over the newspapers, on magazine covers, and on TV. Truthfully, I thought telling Giada about you would only cause problems and more pain for you. After all you’ve been through in your life, I wanted to spare you as much new pain as possible.” Hannah took another deep breath and exhaled. “I’m so sorry, son.”

  Kentucky felt tears prick his eyes. His mouth went into a straight line. He looked away, took several deep breaths, and blinked his eyes clear.

  When Kentucky had regained his composure, he squared his shoulders and turned back to his stepmother. “No wonder she was never at the house when I called,” he said, stubbornly setting his jaw.

  “I hated lying to you, son. I just couldn’t tell you all this over the phone.”

  “I guess he got her another cell phone number, too, because I never could reach her that way, either. I never had Giada’s work number,” Kentucky said matter-of-factly. Though his initial response was an emotional one, he now acted as if he didn’t care that the love of his life had moved on without him.

  Why should he care? A part of him had expected this kind of thing from Giada.

  “Kenny, are you gonna be okay?” Hannah asked with concern in her eyes. She touched his left arm to get his attention.

  Kentucky gave her a tender smile. “I’m fine, Mama.” He put his arm about her shoulders. “I’ve survived so much over the last three months. I’m confident I’ll survive a broken heart, too.”

  A glossy-eyed Hannah nodded and snuggled against him as they walked toward the nearest exit.

  There was no luggage to get. The tote bag on Kentucky’s shoulder was all he’d brought back from Africa. All of his other belongings had been sent to Hannah months ago.

  On their way to the house on Wilmington Street, since Kentucky’s home had been sold last month, they talked about his African experience. They talked a lot about Malik and about the promise Kentucky made to bring him to America. It was Hannah who brought up the issue of finances.

  “Kenny, you do know that, even after sending the life insurance money back, you are now richer than you ever were before,” Hannah said. “Your ‘death’ brought in donations from all over the world, and the school was able to repay every dime you spent on establishing it. The sale of your house generated triple what you paid for it. I have it all just waiting for you in a high-interest account, minus what I took out to pay for the remainder of Giada’s education. I hope you don’t mind about that last thing.”

  Kentucky’s jaw tightened for a brief moment before it relaxed again. “That’s fine. It was what I would have done for her anyway. But tell me this. Did you increase her scholarship fund before or after she started dating him?”

  “Before. I wouldn’t have given her a brown cent if she was with another man at the time,” she added in a fiery tone.

  Kentucky chuckled. “Atta girl,” he said, so glad that he’d kept his stepmother as his beneficiary.

  Knowing that Giada wasn’t somewhere wasting his hard-earned money with another man was comforting to him somehow. “By the way, what did you do with that wedding ring I entrusted you with before my trip to Africa?”

  “I still have it. I didn’t think it was appropriate to give it to
Giada considering everything. And I didn’t want to get rid of it because of how much thought you put into having it made.”

  “It’s yours now, Mama.” Kentucky frowned at the memory of exactly how much thought he’d put into that ring. “And, Mama, let’s make this the last day we discuss Giada ever again, okay?”

  Hannah frowned. “Okay, son,” she replied solemnly.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  December

  Giada returned home alone after eating a late lunch with Fabian. They’d been dating for three months now, and she still couldn’t seem to give him anything beyond a kiss.

  Giada knew Fabian was getting impatient, but she really didn’t care. She’d have sex when she was good and ready. When Fabian asked when would that be, she told him that she didn’t know.

  Giada then went on to suggest that he start seeing someone else who was ready for that type of relationship with him. Fabian quickly backed off the whole subject of sex and insisted that he could wait after all. That Giada was worth waiting for. Then he asked her to go away with him for the Christmas weekend two weeks from now.

  I should have told him no. Giada went over to her fridge for a container of bottled water for Mercedes, who was still sleeping in her pink-and-white princess bed in the corner.

  I need to just stop kidding myself, Giada thought. Kentucky was my one great love. I’m never going to get another one like that. And if by some miracle I do, I’m pretty sure Fabian ain’t it.

  Thinking of Kentucky caused Giada to also think of Hannah Jones. Guilt pricked her heart at the fact that she hadn’t called to check on Kentucky’s stepmother in a long while. Nearly two months to be exact.

  Deciding to do so now, Giada picked up her house phone and dialed. She never used her cell phone in the apartment anymore. She stopped keeping it in open sight after Mercedes dumped the old one in the toilet on a particularly mischievous night three months ago.

  “She should be home from church and cooking dinner by now.” Giada estimated aloud, still going by Hannah’s old Sunday schedule.

  Someone picked up on the second ring. It was a man. It was a very familiar-sounding man.

  Giada pulled the phone back from her right ear, looked at it in shock, and then slowly put it back to her ear again. Surely that wasn’t Kentucky’s voice she just heard. He was supposed to be dead, right?

  “H-Hello? May I speak to Mrs. Jones please?” Giada said haltingly.

  “She’s not here right now, Giada. I’ll tell her you called,” Kentucky replied, addressing her by name.

  Giada swallowed hard. “Kenny, is that you, baby?” she squeezed out in a whisper. Surely she was losing her mind.

  “Yep,” Kentucky replied, confirming that it was indeed him.

  Not saying another word, Giada slammed the phone down. Then she grabbed her purse, scooped up her dog, and headed over to Wilmington Street.

  * * * *

  As Kentucky hung up the phone, he had the sneaking suspicion that Giada was on her way over to his stepmother’s house. Considering her impatient and impulsive nature, he expected her to rush right over after that shocking phone call.

  In a way, Kentucky wanted to see Giada again. He wanted to see if she was still just as beautiful as he remembered. Plus, after months of refusing interviews and staying close to his stepmother’s house while continuing to rebuild his physical strength, he was starting to go a little stir-crazy hiding out from the world, particularly from her.

  Giada was bound to find out Kentucky was alive sometime. She most certainly would find out when he went on a promotional tour after the book he’d been working on about his experiences in Africa was published. Why not just reveal his survival to her today and get it over with? What harm could it do at this stage in the game?

  Hopefully not much harm, Kentucky thought, recalling how he felt a few minutes ago when Giada issued that unexpected endearment. He’d had to brace himself against it. That fact that it had sounded so genuine had heat sweeping over his body even now.

  No woman had ever affected Kentucky as much as Giada. He seriously doubted another woman could at this point.

  * * * *

  Giada got to the Jones residence within ten minutes. She took back roads and sped all the way there.

  Ringing Hannah’s doorbell three times in a row, Giada waited impatiently on the front porch for someone to answer. Mercedes, who’d been let out of her arms by now, scratched at the door of the familiar house.

  Soon Kentucky’s large frame filled the doorway.

  Giada inhaled sharply at the sight of him. “So you are alive! You’re alive.”

  Tears of joy swam in her eyes as she took in the sight of Kentucky in that white T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and white socks. Had she come thirty minutes earlier, she might have seen him in the black designer suit he’d worn to church today.

  Giada didn’t care what Kentucky had on. He would have looked good in anything right now, standing there as fine as ever and alive.

  Alive!

  “Yes, I am very much alive,” Kentucky replied evenly.

  “How? Why didn’t your mother tell me?” Pain saturated Giada’s eyes to discover that she’d been cut off from news this important.

  “Mama didn’t think you knowing I was alive would matter much, considering the fact that you’ve moved on with your life and all,” Kentucky said with a neutral face and voice.

  Giada’s cheeks felt hot with shame that she hadn’t followed her gut and just waited a while longer before dating anyone. “It would have mattered, Kenny. A lot,” she finally replied, feeling moisture well up in her eyes.

  “As for how I survived, it was nothing short of a miracle,” Kentucky replied, seeming to deliberately ignore her last statement, her teary pools, and Mercedes’s scratching at the bottom of the door.

  What was wrong with the man? Didn’t he feel anything for them at all anymore?

  “After getting amnesia from a hard blow to the head, a serious wound and infection from a shot to the chest, I’m fortunate to not only be alive, but to also be in my right mind. Had it not been for God’s mercy and a medicine man named Malik, I would not have survived,” Kentucky continued.

  Tears rolled down Giada’s cheeks now. “Oh, Kenny. I had no idea you’d gone through so much.”

  “No one did,” he said curtly. “Now if that’s all . . .” Kentucky moved back as if he was about to close the door.

  “All?” Giada exclaimed, leaning closer to the locked screen door. “How can that be all, Kenny? I haven’t seen you in months. Can I come inside and talk a little bit more with you? At least get a hug or something?”

  “No,” Kentucky quickly replied.

  “N-No?” Giada’s lips trembled out that word as her eyes widened with shock.

  * * * *

  Slamming his eyes shut, Kentucky took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The sight of Giada’s shapely body in that royal blue pantsuit was just too tempting for him. His hands twitched to touch her.

  “No has to be my answer, Giada,” Kentucky said, opening his eyes a few seconds later to reveal the torment therein. There would be no more hiding his feelings. There were simply too many of them bombarding him at once.

  “Why, Kenny?” Giada whispered in an anguished tone.

  “If I let you in, if I so much as touch you, I’m gonna forget that you didn’t wait for me,” Kentucky replied. “I’m gonna forget that you went back to a man that I despise. I’m gonna forget a lot of things that I need to remember in order to keep my sanity, to keep moving on with my own life.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t wait longer for you, Kenny.” Giada pressed up against the screen door in desperation. Who cared that it was broad daylight and that anyone walking past could see her humbled to the core?

  “I will always regret listening to the advice of others by stepping back into the dating pool too soon after your supposed death,” Giada continued. “But that’s all I’ve done is step back in. I haven’t swum in that pool at all
. The only thing I’ve done is go out with Fabian, exchange a few kisses here and there, but nothing else. I haven’t even allowed the man to get in a quick feel, and I definitely don’t love him. I love you, Kenny. You!” She banged on the screen door with high emotion at the end.

  “Giada, please—” Kentucky began. His felt his own eyes fill with moisture now as unbridled love filled his heart.

  “No, let me finish,” Giada interrupted in a lower tone this time. “I know it doesn’t seem like I waited on you, but I actually did. My heart and my body have been temporarily on hold until the man that owns them both came to reclaim them. You’re that man, Kenny. I have never stopped loving you. I have never stopped wanting you inside of me.” Giada licked her lips and whispered, “I want you inside of me so bad right now that it hurts, baby. It hurts.”

  Kentucky moaned with need. His body was stiff and on fire with desire. He ran a hand from his forehand to his chin, trying to regain some composure. “I can’t share you, Giada. I never could.”

  His voice was a deep, husky whisper. “Besides, the world thinks you’re his. He thinks you’re his.”

  “I could care less what the world thinks,” Giada snapped, wiping her face free of tears. “As for Fabian . . .” She took a step back from the screen, snatched open her purse, and pulled out her new cell phone. Within seconds she had dialed Fabian’s number and pressed the speaker so that Kentucky could hear the conversation, too.

  “Hey, baby,” Fabian said, obviously recognizing her number on his caller ID.

  “Listen, Fabian, I just called to say I’m not going to be going out with you anymore, so please don’t send me any gifts, cards, or anything else to try to change my mind. It’s over between us, for good this time,” Giada said, speaking into the phone, but looking right at Kentucky.